A Murder Yule Regret by Winnie Archer

by Chewie the Mouse

I started this series with the previous book ("Death Gone A-Rye"), and was hooked. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read and review this sixth installment in the series. I'm happy to report that this one did NOT disappoint! It was every bit as good as the previous one, and I'm sure the next book will follow suit. As someone who jumped in to the series with Book 6, I can report that both books work fine as stand-alones.

The characters, especially main sleuth Ivy, were all well-written and detailed. I enjoyed learning more about her (as well as other major characters) this time around, and gained a better appreciation of the depth of the various relationships. Even minor characters were given enough distinguishing features to make it easy to keep everyone straight, and make each person seem like a truly unique individual. I also enjoyed meeting movie star Eliza, as Ivy got to know her over the course of the investigation. I hope she'll become a regular feature in the series!

And speaking of the murder investigation...it was excellent! This time around, Ivy gets involved because the murder took place at party she was working, both as a Yeast of Eden employee and as a photographer. Ivy's photography plays an important role in the investigation, and I enjoyed learning more about this aspect of her life.

I suspected a couple of people at different times, and was proven wrong in the end. In retrospect, there were plenty of clues pointing to the actual culprit, and everything made perfect sense at the final reveal.

Another note: I appreciated that Ivy is best friends with the main police presence it town, instead of being either a love interest or an enemy. I liked the way the two of them worked together, with Emmeline being no-nonsense and professional about her job, while still appreciating Ivy's help and suggestions.

All in all, I very much enjoyed this mystery. Five out of five slices of perfect provolone!